Beginning, Previous Section, Section VII, Next Section
The lazy, warm afternoon in the park had unobtrusively retired and left in its wake a cool, but intoxicating evening of novel intimacy. It was the top of the eighth inning, the Dodgers were safely ahead, and William and Elizabeth had tried nearly all of the ball park delicacies.
"I can't believe you don't like peanuts." William cracked a peanut shell with little effort as his eyes tried to keep up with the hitter running with great speed to first base.
"Are YOU kidding me?!! He was SAFE!!" Elizabeth yelled as if the first base umpire could hear her from several feet behind the third base line. William had grown accustomed to Elizabeth's impassioned expressions at the umpires and smiled warmly at Elizabeth. Without taking her eyes off the umpire, who was not anyone's favorite at the moment, Elizabeth said, "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
William cracked another peanut shell with the same ease. He disposed of the shell and was left with the actual nuts. "I said, I can't believe you don't like peanuts." His hand moved towards her, offering some to her.
Elizabeth shook her head and wore a revolted expression on her face as she gently pushed William's hand away. "Why is that so hard to believe?" Suddenly, Elizabeth jumped out of her seat, "WHAT?! How was that NOT a strike?! It was in the strike zone! C'mon!!"
As soon as Elizabeth took her seat, William resumed the conversation, "Well, aren't peanuts considered to go hand in hand with baseball? It's almost like birthdays with cake and ice-cream or Thanksgiving and turkey." William popped the peanuts in his mouth as he watched the closing pitcher throw a perfectly executed curve ball to strike out the batter.
"YES!! OK. You only have to do that two more times! C'mon!" Elizabeth clapped enthusiastically to support her home team. Then she turned to William, "I already told you how I nearly choked to death on one when I was nine. They're deceivingly packaged in these bags with a smiling cartoon peanut. Harmless? Hmph."
"I think you're old enough to eat them now." William smiled teasingly at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth tried to glare at William. "I never eat them."
"Never?"
"Never."
"That's quite a resolution." William popped in another peanut in his mouth and devoured it. After sometime, he said, "Do you eat peanut butter?"
Elizabeth had opened her mouth, but quickly shut it.
"How about peanut butter cookies?"
Elizabeth kept her lips tightly shut, repressing her smile.
"Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"
This time Elizabeth turned away from William and tried to concentrate on the game. William, too amused to desist with his teasing, continued, "You don't even eat those chocolate covered peanut candies?"
"Yes, I do eat peanut butter, but only the smooth kind. If there are nuts in my cookies, I pick them out. And, not even chocolate could tempt me to eat those awful things." She finished with her hands on her hips.
William and Elizabeth looked at each other for a moment before William sat back in his seat and proceeded to eat another peanut. "I can't believe you don't like peanuts."
Elizabeth groaned and rolled her eyes as she slumped back in her seat and watched the game. With great effort, she stifled the laughter that desperately wanted to escape.
Seconds later, a vendor had descended the stairs to work his way up with his merchandise. Elizabeth's attention was quickly diverted as she examined the vendor's merchandise from her seat. Her eyes brightened and a smile spread from ear to ear as the vendor exaggeratedly waved an oversized blue-foam hand with the words "Go Blue!" on it. He yelled heartily, "Souvenirs! Souvenirs here!"
Apparently, the vendor observed Elizabeth's open feelings and moved over to where William and Elizabeth sat at the end of the aisle.
The vendor leaned over to William and asked, "Would you like to buy your lovely wife a souvenir?"
Elizabeth felt her cheeks burning and found it hard to meet William's eyes. "Oh-I-I'm n-"
"Sure."
Elizabeth eyes shot up at William and she blinked several times.
"Sweetheart, what would you like?" His smile took her breath away.
Elizabeth looked at William, then at the vendor, then again at William. "I-Um..."
"Darling, we don't want to keep this nice man waiting."
"Oh-right. I-I-that." Elizabeth pointed at the oversized blue-foam hand the vendor held.
As the vendor passed the ridiculously giant hand to Elizabeth, she took it cautiously, as if at any moment the whole interaction would turn out to be a great joke, and she would have to return it.
Instead William paid the vendor and he continued on his way, enthusiastically yelling, "Souvenirs here! I got your souvenirs!"
When they were left to themselves, Elizabeth looked at William in wonder and William continued smiling his easy, charming smile.
"I didn't think you'd chose that."
Elizabeth looked down at her precious souvenir. "Why?"
"It'll be hard to find other purposes for it when you're not at a game."
"Oh. I plan to beat my students over the head with it every time they give a wrong answer during class." Elizabeth stated with a dead pan expression.
William laughed freely which caused Elizabeth to laugh with him. After a few moments, they returned their attention to the game.
Elizabeth was still affected by how William had not corrected the vendor about his mistake. The ease and surprisingly natural way William referred to her in endearing ways had momentarily knocked any sense out of Elizabeth. She had been referred to in that manner many times before, but this time, it was as if William was the first to do it. Sweetheart. . . Darling. . . his voice echoed in her mind which caused her to bring her arms around her to brace herself against the tremors happening inside of her. Her shoulders rose and dropped with each slow breath she took.
"Are you cold?" William had seen Elizabeth brace herself.
"Oh, I--maybe a little." Elizabeth smiled sheepishly.
"It has gotten a bit cooler." William was about to offer Elizabeth his sweater, but realized that he could not possibly do that because of his bare chest underneath. Instead, William came up with an alternative.
He leaned closer to Elizabeth. "May I?"
Elizabeth hesitated. "Alright."
William reached around Elizabeth and lightly put his arm around her. She felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder as he rested his hand there which almost caused her to gasp. Instead, Elizabeth bit her lip. Then with his other hand, William took both of Elizabeth's hands and brought them to rest on his knee. It took all of her self control to steady her breathing which became increasingly difficult because of the pleasantly surprising warmth emanating from William's hands, arm, and body. Her body was tense at the novelty of being touched by William in this way, but her tenseness soon melted away as she allowed William's warmthness to envelope her. As she relaxed, her shoulders leaned into William's arm.
When William thought about what he was going to do, it seemed perfectly reasonable. He could not offer his sweater and he had left his jacket in the car. But, the moment he had touched Elizabeth, the ardent feelings from the last time he had touched her which was during the car ride over, had emerged without warning. He had momentarily forgotten how much pleasure touching Elizabeth brought him and he was sure that his feelings would be exposed. When he felt Elizabeth relax into his half embrace, he felt slightly relieved that she did not notice how his body tensed.
As Elizabeth watched the game, William covertly took in Elizabeth. He watched as her eyelashes fluttered every time she blinked and her lips part, but then close as if she stifled something to say. He began to wonder what it would be like if he could watch Elizabeth like this for the rest of his life and this thought caused him to smile to himself.
Then suddenly, Elizabeth stirred under William's arm and for a moment he thought she was struggling to break free, but he was completely surprised when she did the opposite. Elizabeth had moved so that she could rest her head on his shoulder as he continued to wrap his arm around her. It took every bit of William's strength to sustain his will as Elizabeth's soft curls would occasionally brush up against his lips.
They stayed like this for some time. Although, it appeared that they were watching the game, their attention and thoughts were diverted towards the other person so close to them.
After some moments like this, William spoke up. "Elizabeth?" He asked timidly.
"Uh-huh?" Elizabeth's eyes felt heavy.
"Umm...I was wondering..." William's voice trailed off as he was momentarily distracted by the faint sweet flower fragrance from Elizabeth's soft curls.
"Wondering what?" Elizabeth unconsciously snuggled her head into a more comfortable position on William's shoulder.
"Oh...I," William shook his head, trying to remember what he was going to ask before he lost his train of thought when Elizabeth nestled closer to him. "I . . . I was wondering if you were free Sunday evening?"
"Sunday?" Elizabeth felt too tired to lift her head from her comfortable spot.
"Yes, my sister will be in town this weekend and I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with us on Sunday evening." William's voice became timid again. "I know it's a school night, but it was the only time she had in her plans available for dinner this weekend."
Elizabeth softly giggled which caused William's temperature to rise from the feeling of her laughter against his body. "Well, as long as you don't keep me passed my bedtime, I would love to have dinner with you and your sister." Elizabeth stifled a yawn.
William gently squeezed both her hands in his. "Good. I'll try not to keep you so late."
Before Elizabeth could respond to the idea of being kept by him, she yawned without restrain. She quickly raised one of her hands from underneath William's to cover her mouth. "Excuse me."
"Speaking of bed time, are you tired? Or is it my company that has gotten so tiresome?" William teased as his hand that had rested on Elizabeth's shoulder reached up to tenderly brush back some curls from her face.
"Of course, I'm not tired of you." Elizabeth's fatigued state caused her usually well checked self to be more forthcoming.
William lightly kissed the top of Elizabeth's head. "I'm glad to hear that, but it's well passed 10 o'clock and it's a school night. Perhaps we should leave."
This caused Elizabeth to sit up, freeing herself from William's half embrace. "Leave? But-- why?--we can't."
William smiled good naturedly. "Don't you have to be up early in the morning?"
"Well, yes, but..."Elizabeth thought a moment before she said, "The game isn't even over yet. We can't leave while the game is still being played."
William turned to check the score on the score board. "I think it's safe to assume that the Dodgers have won."
Elizabeth checked the score also. He was right. "But, it doesn't seem right just to leave when the game hasn't even ended yet." Elizabeth looked down at one of her hands that was still under William's.
William saw Elizabeth cover her mouth, trying to stifle another yawn. He chuckled and leaned closer to Elizabeth. "We still have the car ride home."
Elizabeth looked up at William then blushed at the intensity of his eyes. She knew that he was earnest in his concern for her welfare, but she could not also help taking his words to have a different meaning. "Right."
"We should probably leave now, so that it won't be so late when you get home." William continued looking at Elizabeth with the same intensity.
All Elizabeth could do under William's gaze was assent to his suggestion. "Alright."
William squeezed Elizabeth's hand before he took it into his and proceeded to lead her up the stairs. Elizabeth had not noticed everyone cheering at the homerun that had been hit while she was being lead away by William. She reveled in the certainty and warmth William exuded as he lead her away by the hand. It felt natural. There was no doubt, it was right. She watched William as he talked on his cell phone to have Silvester meet them at the same place they had been dropped off. The inside of her chest fluttered in anticipation as she thought about the ride home.
Elizabeth had turned in her place so that her body faced William and her cheek pressed on the cool leather car seat. William had also turned in his seat, so that he could face Elizabeth directly. His arm was bent above Elizabeth and rested on the top of his seat while his fingers became entangled in his wavy dark hair. He reached with his other hand for Elizabeth's hand and was pleased that she took it willingly. Silvester did not even bother to ask if they were ready to leave because of how they were completely taken in by the other person sitting in front of them. Silvester proceeded to drive away and hoped that the couple did not mind that he continued playing Louis Armstrong's music. Dream a Little Dream was a favorite rendition of Silvester's and it had just started playing. The sound of a lazy trombone softly rang out as Louis Armstrong's scratchy trademark voice softly echoed through the car.
Stars shining bright above you.
Night breezes seem to whisper I love you.
William leaned in closer to Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth's feelings were very nearly going to overcome her, her fatigue was greater.
Birds singing in the Sycamore trees.
Dream a little dream of me.
William reached over and tenderly pushed some of her hair back from her face. He repeated this action except the next time he let his fingers run through her hair slowly. The gentle movement soothed Elizabeth. She felt the same heavy feeling return in her eyes from before. William slowly moved his touches from her hair to her face.
Say nighty-night and kiss me.
Just hold me tight, and tell me you'll miss me.
While I'm alone and as blue as can be,
Dream a little dream of me.
As William gently caressed Elizabeth's face, Elizabeth took in her breath and closed her eyes to savor William's touch. Then William cupped Elizabeth's face and softly moved his thumb from side to side on the apple of her cheek. His breathing became unsteady at the sight of such beauty he beheld.
Stars fade, but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss.
William moistened his lips and before he knew it, he had placed a soft and tender kiss on Elizabeth's lips.
I'm longing to linger til dawn dear
Just singing this, yes.
He could not help lingering so close to Elizabeth's lips for a brief moment. As he slowly pulled away, he watched for Elizabeth's reaction. He hoped his kiss was not unwelcome. He waited some time for Elizabeth to open her eyes, but they did not. William, concerned, gently moved his thumb again on the apple of her cheek and when she did not respond, in a low voice, William whispered, "Elizabeth?"
Sweet dreams til sunbeams will find you.
Sweet dreams that leave all your worries behind you.
When she did not answer, William leaned closer to check her breathing. She breathed steadily. Elizabeth had fallen asleep.
But in your dreams whatever they'll be,
dream a little dream of me.
William gently released his hold on Elizabeth's face and stifled his amusement at the whole situation. He watched Elizabeth sleep peacefully with a hint of a smile on her lips. Her lips. He thought. For a brief moment he felt them on his own and he wondered if she had fallen asleep when he had kissed her. He did not think so because he felt a gentle pressure from Elizabeth's lips on his when they did kiss. He laughed quietly to himself as he thought about the affect his kiss had on Elizabeth. I must admit this is a first. He also could not help wondering if Elizabeth would remember it.
As he looked at Elizabeth, he decided that if they were to kiss again, he would be sure that Elizabeth would be receptive to it. How will I know that? He ran his hand through his hair and looked out at the dark blurry scenery passing by him. He was sure this time that Elizabeth was receptive, but he completely misread the situation. He was not sure if he could try again in the future.
He let out a deep sigh and allowed his eyes to settle on Elizabeth again. The moonlight shining through the window softly illuminated her face and curly dark hair. William wondered what it would be like to have the privilege to see Elizabeth like this every night. He tentatively reached for one of Elizabeth's dark curls and brushed it away from her forehead. The thought of someone else having this privilege disturbed William. An inexplicable feeling overcame him. He did not know how to explain it, but William felt it should be him who should get to see Elizabeth this way every night.
Before he could further dwell on what was not his, the car jumped up unexpectedly due to a pothole in the street. Silvester quickly apologized, but before William could reply to Silvester, Elizabeth had sat up from her seat disoriented and looked around the car.
"Elizabeth, are you alright?" William placed his hand gently on Elizabeth's shoulder.
Elizabeth's brow furrowed in an annoyed expression and she merely nodded. William could not help smiling at the charming pout on Elizabeth's lips. Elizabeth valued her sleep very much. In fact, her family knew to attempt to awake Elizabeth was a whole task in itself. One reason, Elizabeth was an incredibly deep sleeper and another, Elizabeth strongly disliked being woken up. Now that she had been woken up, she was quite determined to go back to sleep.
Elizabeth suddenly moved towards William. William, surprised, allowed Elizabeth to be near him. He leaned back, almost against the door, as Elizabeth settled her body next to his and nestled her head on his chest. Her legs became entangled with his and after a few moments, she had fallen asleep again.
William, however, lay stiffly on the backseat with one hand gripping the top of the seat and the other bracing the bottom part. He had been caught off guard by Elizabeth moving next to him, so closely. He looked down at her and saw she had fallen asleep again. A little nervous, he breathed in deeply which caused Elizabeth to stir. His body tensed even more as Elizabeth brought her hand to rest on his chest. After a few moments, when it became obvious that Elizabeth was only going to sleep for the rest of the time, he loosened both his grips on the seat. He laughed to himself as he remembered that Elizabeth was not like the women of his acquaintance who tried to pull stuff like this, but who were not interested in just sleeping.
Then William felt something poking uncomfortably at the back of his neck. He looked around the car for something to buffer whatever it was poking him and saw his jacket which was at the other end of the seat by Elizabeth and also the oversized blue Dodger foam hand laying on the floor that was also over on Elizabeth's side of the car. He shook his head resignedly. He checked his watch to see if he would be able to just wait it out, but unfortunately they would not be home for another forty five minutes at least. He made a quick decision and proceeded to sit up and reach for the needed items. However, this caused Elizabeth to stir, and not wanting to disturb Elizabeth, he wrapped his left arm carefully around her. Elizabeth stopped stirring to William's relief and he reached with his other arm for the jacket and foam souvenir, carefully and at the same time holding Elizabeth.
When he had both items, he proceeded to lean back down in his seat and placed the foam hand behind his head. After he had settled in a comfortable position, he took his jacket and put it around Elizabeth. He put his hands in their former place and leaned his head back trying to divert his attention away from the nearness of Elizabeth's body next to his, but it would prove to be unsuccessful. Elizabeth began to stir again. William moved to make her more comfortable, but it did not work, so he tried putting his arms around her and to his astonishment, she stopped moving. Instead of fighting the idea of how Elizabeth's nearness affected him, he surrendered himself to the warmthness of her body and the pleasure of having her in his arms. William had never known such intimacy with another person before. It was extraordinary that he felt as if he knew this feeling, even though he did not know what it was. The closest explanation that he could think of was it felt like finally coming home after a long, lonesome journey. He held Elizabeth tighter as if at any moment he would lose that feeling.
When Silvester checked his passengers in the rear view mirror, he could not help smiling to himself at the sight of the charming couple asleep in each other's arms.
After circling the block four times, Silvester realized that he would have to wake the sleeping couple. He had hoped that one of them would wake up, saving him the loathsome job. William and Elizabeth appeared content in each others' arms and to disturb them would be cruel. However, when Silvester drove down Elizabeth's street for the fourth time, he realized that if the couple were truly content with the way they were, they were not going to wake up anytime soon. Silvester sighed deeply and looked apologetically at the couple in his rearview mirror as he pulled up carefully in front of Elizabeth's apartment building.
When the car came to a complete stop, Silvester put the car in park and coughed.
William stirred, but did not wake up.
Silvester wiped away the light perspiration from his forehead with his handkerchief and then reached over and shut off the music. Silvester thought Nat King Cole's Embraceable You, although quite lovely, might be contributing to the couple's blissful state. In an unsubtle manner, Silvester coughed again.
This time, William mumbled something inaudible, but did not wake up.
Silvester rubbed the back of his neck nervously before he decided to carry out the unpleasant task even further. "Mr. Darcy?"
William embraced Elizabeth closer to him.
Silvester tried to ignore his unconscious action. "Mr. Darcy. . . Mr. Darcy. . .we're here." Silvester whispered, but the last part was said slightly louder.
William's eyes fluttered open and he shook his head gingerly as if coming out of a trance. When he tried to sit up and move his arms, his movement was impeded by Elizabeth laying next to him and his arms still wrapped around her. Shocked at first to find Elizabeth in his arms, slowly the memories of the evening made their way back to him, and he could not help smiling warmly as he looked down at her.
William turned to the driver, "Thank you, Silvester. Um...would you give us a moment?"
Silvester repressed his urge to smile cheerfully. "Of course, sir." Then he nodded and stepped out of the car. When William heard the door shut, he immediately turned his attention back to Elizabeth.
William gently caressed her face and then let his fingers run through Elizabeth's hair. "Elizabeth." He repeated the tender action when she did not respond. "Elizabeth." When she did not respond again, William tentatively let his fingers wander to the back of Elizabeth's neck. When they found the soft nape of her neck, his fingers lightly stroked that area as he said her name again. This time Elizabeth responded. She nestled into William's chest and her hand, that had been on his chest, reached around to hug William and a faint purring sound emanated from Elizabeth.
His fingers immediately ceased their seductive maneuvers. William shook his head as he realized where this was all leading, where it almost led to. He took in a solidifying breath before he carefully returned Elizabeth to her seat. There was one way he could wake up Elizabeth, but William felt it would be taking advantage of her to wake her up in that way. When he had decided that if anything like that were to happen between them, he wanted to be sure that she was receptive and conscious. He also did not have the heart to wake her up in such a cold and violent manner by shaking her. He rubbed his chin as he regarded her sleeping form. After a few moments, he came to a decision.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Elizabeth's phone number. "Jane, it's William...yes, everything is alright...actually...Elizabeth fell asleep on the way home...no, we're actually out front in the car...yes, I tried waking her up, but...well...right, she's very difficult to wake up..." William blushed. "Anyway, if you could open the door, my driver will be there, I'm going to be bring Elizabeth up...Yes, I'll carry her...no, it's alright, Jane...It's no trouble at all...Really, no trouble at all..." William stole a glance at Elizabeth. "I should be there shortly...Silvester's his name...Alright." William clicked his phone off and pushed the power button to roll down the window.
"Silvester, will you meet Ms. Bennet's sister at their door?"
Silvester nodded and proceeded up the steps to the front door.
William rolled the window back up and turned to Elizabeth. She slept peacefully, oblivious to the fervent longing that William kept in check with extraordinary equanimity. He had to get her near the end of the seat, so he could lift her out and he knew that the only way to do that would require some touching. He closed his eyes as he took in a cleansing breath. You're just helping her that's all. Yeah, that's it. Helping her inside. Helping her inside her room. Her bedroom. William swallowed hard. You've made it this far, don't crumble now!
Carefully, he put one arm around Elizabeth and tentatively reached under her knee with a firm grip. Slowly, he pulled Elizabeth towards the door, feeling slightly light headed from having Elizabeth pressed up next to him. To his relief, Elizabeth had not stirred. When they reached the end of the car seat, William opened the door, and with care not to disturb Elizabeth, stepped out of the car.
"Is she still asleep?" Jane reached the car as William stepped out of the car.
"Yes." William said with a touch of relief.
"Elizabeth sleeps right through when the gardeners are mowing and using their leaf blowers at eight in the morning." Jane shook her head. "I wonder if there'll ever be a way to wake her up without going through so much trouble."
William knew of several ways to wake her up that would be no trouble at all. He cleared his throat and quickly ran his hand through his hair. "This is no trouble at all." Before Jane could say anything, William leaned in and scooped up Elizabeth into his arms.
As William, proceeded to walk towards the front door, Silvester reached in and handed Jane Elizabeth's purse and souvenirs from the park. Jane grinned at the sight of the ridiculously sized blue foam hand and bid good night to the driver. William was no where in sight, so Jane quickly went into the apartment.
When she reached the doorway, William stood in the middle of the apartment, still holding Elizabeth in his arms. "I wasn't sure where to put her." A sheepish expression overcame William's countenance.
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." William merely smiled wryly as Jane made her way down the short corridor and stopped in front of a door on the right side of the hall. "This is her room."
William nodded appreciatively. He walked towards the door and entered the room. He looked around stealthily. It was modestly decorated and had a definite feminine touch to it. He immediately spotted the full size bed in the middle of the room and moved toward it. With great care and ease, he laid Elizabeth down on her bed. William, relieved that the task was over, tried to move away from Elizabeth, but discovered, as he tried to rise, that his left arm was pinned underneath Elizabeth's head. Suddenly he was painfully aware of how near his face was to Elizabeth's. He blinked several times as he looked at her unsuspecting face.
"Is everything alright?" Jane interrupted from the doorway.
William cleared his throat. "Yes, nothing I can't handle." He hesitated before he reached around Elizabeth's neck. He firmly lifted her head up and slowly moved his arm from under Elizabeth to free it. When his arm was free, he gently laid her head back down, but not without letting his fingers linger for a brief moment on the nape of her neck. William could not resist one last touch and did not think that it would provoke anything. However, Elizabeth turned in her sleep.
"I'll let you have a moment to say good bye." Before William could say anything, Jane was gone.
When he turned to look back at Elizabeth, she stared back at him with a bemused look on her face.
"Elizabeth?" William leaned closer to her.
It took a moment for Elizabeth to respond. "William . . . are you in my bedroom?"
William felt the tops of his ears burn. "Yes, I brought you here. You fell asleep in the car."
Elizabeth looked down. "So, this isn't a dream?"
"No, it's not a dream." To convince her, William tenderly cupped her face.
At William's touch, Elizabeth's breathing became unsteady. "Oh."
They regarded each other for a moment. William knew he had to get out of there. "I just wanted to say good night."
Elizabeth smiled warmly. "Good night." She put her hand over his hand on her face. "Thank you for tonight."
William gently let go of her face and held her hand in his. "It was my pleasure." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night."
As he pulled away, Elizabeth smiled again. Her eyes shut slowly and she was overcome with sleep again. William carefully laid her hand next to her when he felt her grip loosen. As he stood up to leave, something on her bed caught his eye and he looked again. It was a white cotton night gown with slender straps draped allusively on the corner of her bed. He looked away quickly. A small smile appeared on his lips as he walked out of Elizabeth's room.
As he cleared the corridor, Jane came out of the kitchen to meet William. "Is she alright?"
"Yes." William now felt the back of his neck burn.
Jane looked knowingly at William which caused him to rub the back of his neck. "Oh! What's this?" Jane held up Elizabeth's autographed baseball.
"You should let Elizabeth tell you about it." William chuckled.
Jane looked at William thoughtfully for a moment before she said, "Well, it looks important. Maybe someone who is more responsible about these type of things should keep it safe until Elizabeth is able to claim it."
William raised an eyebrow curiously at Jane.
"I've never been very good at keeping things like this. I might accidentally give it away to our nephew or something silly like that." A light smirk appeared on Jane's lips as she held out the ball for William to take.
William took it tentatively. When Jane gave him the ball freely, William could not help laughing. "Thank you, Jane."
"You're welcome." She did not bother hiding her amusement.
They bid each other good night and Jane walked him to the door. As William walked out to the car, Silvester held the door open for him.
William stopped suddenly before he got in the car. "Oh! I almost forgot." He dug in his pockets for something and when he found it, he turned to Silvester and handed it to him.
Silvester looked down at the folded bills. His mouth dropped at the amount. "Sir, I can't-"
"Please accept it. During the game, Ms. Bennet insisted that the money she earned from the game this afternoon should be given to you."
"But, sir. That's very generous of her, but she earned the money, not me. I could not accept it. And there's twice that amount here." Silvester held out the money for William to take back.
William smiled kindly at the driver. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't think I could ever repay you for this evening." William looked back wistfully at Elizabeth's apartment.
After a few moments, Silvester spoke up. "She's an extraordinary woman, sir."
William laughed. "Indeed she is." He climbed into the car and Silvester shut the door.
When Silvester got into the car, he looked back at his passenger through his rear view mirror. His jacket was draped across his knee, he held a baseball in one hand, and looked out the window as they pulled away from Elizabeth's apartment. Silvester thought it best to leave the man to his thoughts, but he did not turn off the music when Dream a Little a Dream softly echoed through the car again, bringing back pleasant memories of the evening.
Part 1 "Too Much Work to Do"
William watched unobtrusively as his cousin and younger sister brought their things down from upstairs. He had been in his study all morning and this was the first he heard the two ladies stir about in the house.
"Are you two leaving already?"
Georgiana looked for the source of the familiar voice. William stood near the bottom of the stairs with one hand in his pocket. Georgiana felt a tug inside of her as she recognized the disappointed look on William's face. She strode up to her brother and said, "We're not leaving yet. We'll grab something to eat first." William sighed and dug his hand deeper in his pocket. Georgiana lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be back tomorrow."
William nodded. "I know." He watched Anne bring down her handbags. "It seems like you just got here though."
Georgiana smiled affectionately at her doting brother. Before Georgiana could respond, Anne said, "Well, she did arrive last night."
William shot Anne a sour look. Anne pretended not to notice. "Besides, Georginana said we'll be back tomorrow."
"Where will you be staying?"
"We'll be staying at the Hilton. I put the number on the refrigerator." Georgiana tried to reassure William.
"I thought you'd be excited to have the house to yourself for most of the weekend anyway."
William and Georgiana looked bemusedly at Anne as she double checked the bags. She stopped abruptly then looked up as she felt the all to familiar scrutiny of the brother and sister team. "What?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" William's brow wrinkled.
Anne examined William, then Georgiana. He honestly doesn't know what I mean. She took in her breath slowly. "All I meant was that while we're gone, it'll give you some time to...do other things." Anne quickly walked to the kitchen. Georgiana immediately followed, but William held back, deciphering Anne's words.
Anne brought out a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator and set it down gently on the wooden counter of the kitchen island. Georgiana took a seat on a stool at the edge of the table. "Anne, what were you talking about?"
Anne cleared her throat as she set down two glasses from the cupboard next to the orange juice. "I was just saying that if there were other plans he wanted to make, he could because he'll be alone this evening."
By this time, William had cautiously walked in the kitchen. When he had over heard Anne talking to Georgiana, he became unusually drawn to the contents of the refrigerator.
"William, do you have any idea what you're going to do for the rest of the day?" Georgiana asked as she buttered her toast.
"Hmmm." William uttered as he searched through the crisp drawer in the fridge.
Georgiana looked at her brother curiously. He was not usually so unresponsive. However, Anne was not phased. "Do you have plans with Charles?"
"Uh. . . No." William sniffed the milk and checked the expiration date.
Anne smirked. "Will you be making plans with Charles?"
William cleared his throat. "Maybe."
Georgiana, who had been watching the whole exchange, grew increasingly curious by her brother's uncharacteristic sullen behavior. She was even more intrigued by Anne's persistent line of questioning. Georgiana was considerably younger than both, but she knew when something was going on.
"Then who will you be making plans with?" Georgiana asked. Anne fought off her urge to laugh and William stared at his sister with his mouth slightly opened. Georgiana blushed and picked up her orange juice.
"Well, I . . . I . . . maybe. . . I . . ." William quickly ran his hand through his dark hair.
It was Georgiana's turn to be stunned. She never saw him act this way before. I wonder if this has anything to do with that woman Anne was talking about. Georgiana's eyes lit up as the thought crossed her mind. "Is it Caroline Bingley?"
Anne covered her mouth to prevent orange juice from spilling out. William's eyes widen to the size of silver dollars and his voice cracked when he said, "No!" He shot a critical look at Anne as if she put his sweet sister up to this.
After Anne was sure orange juice was not going to escape through any orifices, Anne shook her head and shrugged innocently.
Recollecting his composure, William said, "No. It's not Caroline Bingley." Just saying her name left a bad taste in his mouth. "I was actually thinking of. . ." William looked down and focused on the chocolate colored grain on the wood counter, "Elizabeth."
Georgiana looked at her brother to continue, but when he did not, she looked curiously at Anne for an answer.
Anne smiled good-humoredly at her young cousin. "Elizabeth is the one who'll be joining us for dinner tomorrow evening."
Georgiana's lips formed an 'O' and she then turned to smile warmly at her brother. "Are you going to see her today?"
William shifted in his spot. "I'm not sure."
Georgiana's and Anne's foreheads simultaneously wrinkled.
William rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't spoke to her since Thursday." Georgiana and Anne continued looking at him in the same expectant way. William coughed before he continued. "She might already have plans for today."
"Might? I'm sure she would love to go out with you." Georgiana reassured her brother. Anne started to think that Georgiana's young and innocent ways could work as an advantage.
William looked at his sister kindly. "Georgiana, she's not the type to drop everything she's doing just for a date."
Georgiana wondered what kind of woman would not be thrilled at the idea of seeing her wonderful brother. Sensing Georgiana's doubt, Anne jumped in. "She's very committed to her teaching career."
At the sound of the word teaching, Georgiana's attention piqued even more. "She's a teacher?"
Anne nodded in the affirmative.
"What does she teach? What age does she teach? How long has she been teaching?" Georgiana immediately went off into a barrage of questions. Not only was she excited that her brother had met someone of substance, but the profession had intrigued her as well. She entertained thoughts of becoming a music teacher or perhaps a children's book writer.
William answered his sister's questions to the best of his ability. He was pleased that his sister took an interest in knowing more about Elizabeth. He knew that Georgiana had considered becoming a teacher, and thought that Elizabeth would be an excellent role model for his sister.
When Georgiana felt her questions about Elizabeth's profession were answered sufficiently, she proceeded on to another territory. "I think I'd like Elizabeth if I met her. Anne, did you say that she would be having dinner with us tomorrow evening?"
Anne nodded in the affirmative with a knowing smile.
Georgiana then turned to William. "Since we won't be here, it would be a good idea if you got to see Elizabeth today."
William could not help smiling, amused at his sister's eager behavior. "That's a good idea, Georgie. But, I don't know how easy that will be. It will be short notice and I'm sure she's already made plans."
Georgiana thought a moment. "How about lunch?"
"Lunch?" William looked curiously at Anne, who again, shrugged and shook her head.
"Yeah. Everyone has time for lunch."
"Oh. That's good, Georgie." Anne nodded in agreement.
William eyed the pair suspiciously who seemed to be conspiring some how, but he knew that they could be of some help. "But, I know she's busy with school because when I last talked to her, she said she had grades to do. She seemed pretty determined to get that done."
Anne stroked her chin as Georgiana bit her lower lip. Both were deep in thought, thinking about how William could convince Elizabeth to find some time in her busy day to go out with him. William had to exercise a great deal of strength not to show his amusement at his situation. He had not one, but two determined females plotting ways for him to see Elizabeth. He was not sure if he should be relieved to have such forces on his side or alarmed that his younger sister had taken an enthusiastic interest in his love life.
Then suddenly the ladies started at the same time.
"Sorry, you go."
"No, it's OK. You go."
Anne breathed in deeply before she started. "You could tell her she could come over for lunch and she wouldn't have to worry about making it. All she would have to worry about is showing up."
Georgiana sat up in her seat. "Oh! And if she's worried about being away from her work, she could bring it with her. She could do some work while William made lunch."
"I think it would work."
"She doesn't seem like the unreasonable type."
They both turned suddenly on William who had remained quiet the whole time. When he realized that they were waiting for him to respond, he stammered out, "I-I don't know."
"William, it couldn't hurt to try."
"It's just lunch." Anne smiled knowingly at her next remark. "It's just a gesture."
William breathed in slowly. "I'll think about it." Before the ladies could offer any more arguments, William changed the subject. "What do you both plan to do when you arrive in LA?"
Georgiana's attention immediately turned towards the subject of her checking out prospective colleges she considered attending. Anne, however, took the hint and no longer pursued the matter.
William listened attentively to his sister's eagerness about attending college and their plans for that day and evening. Although he listened, he could not completely put out of his mind the idea about seeing Elizabeth. He last spoke to her Thursday evening, the day after their date at the baseball game. They had reached a point in their acquaintance where they felt comfortable with the other person, but they were still unsure about the other person's feelings for them. However, things between him and Elizabeth were going so well. It was hard for him to believe that it had been one week since he met her. It felt as if they had already shared so much, but when he thought about the future, he knew there was still so much more to be shared.
Georgiana and Anne cleared their breakfast dishes and headed for the living room. William followed the girls and wondered how long he had been thinking of Elizabeth. You really need to keep your thoughts in check. He slightly shook his head at the thought.
"We really need to get going if we want to get a good start." Anne turned to pick up her bags.
Georgiana turned to hug her brother. "I look forward to meeting Elizabeth tomorrow." She whispered in his ear.
William hugged his sister and smiled affectionately at her when she pulled away. "What time will you be getting back tomorrow?"
"Late in the afternoon."
William nodded at the information and proceeded to take Anne's bags from her and then picked up the remaining bags on the floor. There were not many bags, but he was surprised to find that they were heavy.
"For an overnight stay, you girls packed a lot." William walked towards the front door with a bag slung across his trim chest, two in one hand, and one more in the other.
Georgiana blushed and Anne retorted, "Unlike some people, we don't like wearing the same clothes for every occasion."
"Richard has shown great improvement in that respect. He now has four shirts to choose from." William said in mock seriousness.
Georgiana could not help laughing as they walked down the street to Anne's car, a silver Volkswagen Jetta. Anne continued, "Four shirts? That is an improvement. I wonder what ever possessed him to do something so bold."
Anne had opened the trunk and William carefully placed the bags inside. "I think it has to do with a certain lady he's trying to impress."
"Oh." When William had finished arranging the bags, Anne shut the trunk with such force, it made Georgiana flinch slightly. "Why am I not surprised?" Anne moved to the driver's side without looking back.
"Well, apparently he swears this time it's different."
"It always is." Anne muttered and threw herself into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.
William looked curiously at Anne through the back window, but he was soon brought out of his musings of Anne's strange behavior by Georgiana's voice. "You should try to see Elizabeth today."
William only smiled warmly in response to Georgiana's comment. "You better get going. You don' t want to keep Anne waiting." They hugged each other one more time before Georgiana hopped into the car. William stood on the sidewalk and watched as the silver car disappeared around the corner.
He slowly made his way back into the house. It was empty again. Before he allowed that thought to sink in, he returned to his study. He found his plush leather seat behind his desk and leaned back as he allowed his thoughts to drift back to the conversation he had in the kitchen with Anne and Georgiana.
The idea of getting to see Elizabeth again was incredibly inviting. It had been two days since he had seen her and a day since he last talked to her. A part of him yearned to hear her playful voice and see her bright eyes looking at him. He quickly ran his hand through his hair and tried to erase images of Elizabeth from his mind. She couldn't possibly have the time to see me today, especially on such short notice. William looked around his desk for some work to occupy his thoughts. It was relatively sparse except for a short stack of papers that he had already went through. Then his eyes were captured by an object that brought a small, wistful smile to his face. He rested his chin on his hand as his eyes darted back and forth from the phone to the autographed baseball sitting next to it. He knew he could use that as an excuse to lure Elizabeth to his place.
William picked up a book and tried to hide from the two objects that were beckoning him to be of some use. William was not charmed. David McCullough's John Adams had won him over.
"Elizabeth, have you seen my blue turtle neck?" Jane popped from one room to the other searching for her sweater. Elizabeth looked up from her work while sitting at the dinner table and watched with amusement Jane's frantic behavior.
" Blue turtle neck?"
"Yes. The light blue one that's sleeveless." Jane yelled from her room.
Elizabeth got up and walked over to Jane's room. When she arrived, she stood at the doorway in awe at the state of Jane's room. Her closet doors were wide open and clothes laid in disarray on the floor and on her bed. Jane had searched through her bureau, leaving drawers opened with shirts and underwear hanging over the side.
"Jane?" Elizabeth looked at her sister with concern.
"What?" Jane did not look up from her search in her lingerie drawer.
"I don't think you'll find your turtle neck in that drawer." Elizabeth approached her sister carefully.
Jane stopped her searched and looked up at her sister. "I suppose you're right, but I've looked everywhere."
Elizabeth looked around the room, inspecting the various piles of scattered clothes. "Well, it certainly seems like you went through your entire wardrobe," Elizabeth walked over to a pile of clothes on Jane's bed, "but, I think you wouldn't have had so much trouble if you weren't distracted about this evening." As Elizabeth turned over some of the clothes that were on Jane's bed, she got to the bottom and held up the turtle neck that Jane had been looking for.
Jane sighed with relief and took the sweater from her sister. "I know I shouldn't be nervous, but I can't help it." She pushed aside the mound of clothes on her bed and sat down.
Elizabeth created a spot for herself amongst the scattered clothes next to Jane and sat down also. "You'll be fine." Elizabeth reached over and squeezed Jane's hand.
"I know. It's just. . . I really want Charles' sisters to like me. They're leaving next week. . ." Jane's voice trailed off.
Elizabeth smiled reassuringly at Jane. "Which restaurant are you all having dinner at tonight?"
"I'm not sure. Caroline wanted to go to this restaurant in LA. It's supposed to be very chic." Jane looked down at her turtle neck thoughtfully.
"I think this turtle neck would be perfect. It'll bring out your eyes."
Jane smiled half heartedly. "Thank you, but . . . Caroline did say that trendy people will be there."
Elizabeth held back the anger that was slowly kindling inside of her. "Well, I think your choice is elegant and understated which is a good thing." She could not help teasing her sister though. "Besides, I think the only one who'll be paying close attention to you is Charles."
"Elizabeth!" The color in Jane's cheeks had risen. "I--You--" Jane gave up. "You're probably right."
Both sisters laughed and Jane felt more at ease about the impending dinner date with Charles and his sisters.
"Can I help you straighten up your room?" Elizabeth picked up some clothes off Jane's bed and began folding them neatly.
"Sure, but I don't want to take you away from anything important." Jane stood up and rearranged her clothes in her bureau so that they were not hanging out of the drawers.
Elizabeth groaned. "I was just working on my grades."
"Oh, that's right. When do you have to turn them in?"
"Wednesday morning."
"Wow, you're certainly getting a head start."
Elizabeth shook her head at her sister's naiveness. "Well, if I don't start them now, I'll be up late trying to get them done the night before. Bubbling in the grades alone takes some time."
Jane turned to her sister. "That's right!" Memories of previous evenings helping her sister bubble in grades drifted back into Jane's mind. "I'm sorry that I won't be able to help you bubble in those grades. Are you even that close?"
Elizabeth reached over for a pile of shirts that lay next to her on the floor and began folding those as well. "Sort of. Last night, I finished calculating the grades for all my classes. Now, I'm just marking them on the bubble sheets, so that I can just go back and bubble them in later."
"Oh, that's not so bad." Jane said with some hope.
Elizabeth let out a sharp sigh. "I guess not. But, having to fill in all those tiny circles for each student's grade...in addition to the tiny circles for the comments that are supposed to go with the grade..."
Jane remembered how after a half an hour her hand had cramped from holding her pencil for such a short period of time to complete such tedious work. "They really don' t pay you enough."
Elizabeth laughed wryly. "Of course not."
Jane decided to change the subject. "Do you have any plans for today?"
"No." Elizabeth said a bit wistfully.
Jane decided to proceed with care. "Is it because you want to get your grades finished?"
Elizabeth looked up at her sister for a moment. "Well. . . yes and no."
Jane looked curiously at her sister for her to continue.
"The last time I talked to William, he was expecting his sister to come in to town for the weekend. So, I guess it's a good thing that he's with his sister because it'll give me some time to finish my grades." Elizabeth stood up and grabbed a pile of pants from the floor next to Jane's closet.
Jane stood up and took a pair of khaki pants from her sister and placed it on her bed. She then took another pair from Elizabeth and began the process of rehanging the rest of her pants. "But, it sounds like you've got a handle on your grades. In fact, I'm sure if you had put it off for today, you'd still be able to get them done before Wednesday."
Elizabeth smiled kindly at her sister as she handed her a pair of faded jeans. "You're probably right, but I really don't want to find out if it's possible. I just want to get them over with so I don't have to worry about them anymore."
Jane was in the process of hanging her jeans back up in her closet, but stopped in mid-air and turned to her sister. "So, if William asked you out today, you would say no?"
Elizabeth turned away and sat on Jane's bed with some of Jane's pants still in her arms. "I don't know."
"Elizabeth, it's alright to think of yourself once in a while." Jane had sat down gingerly next to her.
Elizabeth thought for a moment before she responded. "I wish it were that easy. I don' t know why, but I can't help feeling guilty when I do something that's purely self indulgent when I know I could be doing something for work." Elizabeth tugged absently at one of the belt loops of Jane's slacks.
"You deserve some self indulgence especially because you work so hard." A mischievous smile pulled at the corner of Jane's lips. "You consider William an indulgence?"
Elizabeth flopped back on the bed and sighed airily. "Of the most decadent kind."
Jane leaned back next to her sister and asked eagerly, "Really?"
"I've never met a man who made me so thankful to be a woman." Elizabeth's tone was playful, but with a degree of seriousness that intrigued Jane even more.
"What do you mean?" Jane asked honestly.
"I already told you how our date went on Wednesday, but I left...a few things out." Elizabeth felt her cheeks become warmer.
Jane moved closer to Elizabeth. "Like what?"
Elizabeth turned on her stomach. "Well, like whenever he holds my hand, his hands are so warm and gentle, but I can't--no, I don't want to let go. And the way he looks at me. . . I have to force myself to look away or I'd be lost forever. And his lips . . ."
Jane could not help smiling knowingly at her sister.
"We actually haven't . . . just on the face . . ." Elizabeth stammered, but continued, "it's just that. . . the drive home after the game. . . I had fallen asleep, but I had this dream that seemed so real . . ."Elizabeth blushed fiercely, but Jane encouraged Elizabeth to continue. "I had this dream that William had kissed me. . . it was so. . ."
"Nice? Wonderful? Delicious?"
Elizabeth laughed. "Of course." Then suddenly Elizabeth became serious. "I know this isn't going to make sense, but I couldn't help feeling as if it had happened before, but it still felt completely thrilling like when you kiss someone for the first time."
Jane regarded her sister closely.
Elizabeth had been looking down and tracing the quilt pattern on Jane's comforter the entire time. "I haven't been able to forget that dream." Elizabeth then looked up at Jane with her forehead wrinkled. "Am I going crazy?"
Jane smiled warmly at her sister. "No." She took one of Elizabeth's hands and squeezed it gently. "Far from it."
Elizabeth returned to absently trace the stitches on the quilt.
"Elizabeth, I know how much work is important to you, but . . ."Jane thought a moment before she finished. "So is your own happiness."
Elizabeth only nodded and resumed her occupation with the quilt. Jane returned to hanging and folding the rest of her clothes while trying to lighten the mood by talking about her plan to beautify herself for this evening. From time to time, a smile would escape Elizabeth's lips. Then an image of Jane with a pasty green avocado mask popped in Elizabeth's head. Jane turned to check her sister and observed the characteristic amusement welling up in her eyes. Teasingly, Jane said, "I know you're just dying to try some of it with me, aren't you?"
Elizabeth could not help laughing. "Oh, yes. Please, please smear mashed avocados and who knows what else onto my face."
Jane giggled. "You didn't seem to mind the last time we tried it."
Elizabeth's shoulders shot up. "In my defense, I was a bit tipsy and Charlotte had dared me to try it." Elizabeth's eyes brightened at the memory of when she, Jane, and Charlotte decided to have a ladies night out before Charlotte left for nursing school. Not much could be recalled of the evening, but the evidence left in its wake were six empty bottles of wine, millions of Hershey Kisses wrappers strewn about the floor, two empty pizza boxes, and the movie Sixteen Candles cued on the scene where the rich, handsome Jake Ryan awaits outside the church for the inexperienced, lovelorn Samantha Baker.
"Admit it, you liked it!"
"Never!"
Elizabeth and Jane soon broke out into hearty laughter while teasing the other about who was more infatuated with Jake Ryan. The amusement had restored Elizabeth to good spirits.
Jane, with a gentle teasing manner, asked, "So, will you join me then?"
Elizabeth shook her head with a mild look of disapproval. "No, thank you. You'll have to get several glasses of wine in me before I try that again."
Jane laughed good naturedly and continued in the same manner. "You can't possibly have something better planned. Oh, wait, that's right. You have your grades!"
In mock indignation, Elizabeth countered, "I may have something else planned."
"Really? Last time I heard which was not very long ago, you were spending a thrilling evening with Mr. Number Two Pencil and your grade sheets."
Elizabeth could not hold back the laughter that flowed freely. "Well, even though my relationship with Mr. Number Two Pencil has been quite exclusive lately, I've discovered we need some time apart."
"Oh, really?" Jane moved closer to her sister.
"Yes. Mr. Number Two Pencil has made it quite clear that I've been using him in a most abominable way and wishes to have no more to do with me."
"So what will you do?" Jane asked in mock despair.
"I suppose I must move on." Elizabeth declared in the same mock despair as Jane.
Jane left her room without warning, leaving Elizabeth bewildered by her behavior. Elizabeth, curious about why Jane had left, was prevented to pursue her sister as Jane walked back in, holding something behind her.
Elizabeth studied her sister before asking, "Why do I feel like I should've escaped when I had the chance?"
"Indeed, you should've." From behind her, Jane held out the cordless phone to Elizabeth. "Move on."
Elizabeth stammered out, "I-I-I don't even have his phone number."
With the other hand, Jane held out William's phone number scrawled on a post it.
Elizabeth looked at her sister incredulously.
"Don't look at me that way, Elizabeth." She placed both items in Elizabeth's hand with authority. "Mr. Number Two Pencil will be quite heartbroken, but I daresay he'll get over it." Jane gently took Elizabeth by the elbow and escorted her back to her bedroom.
When they reached the threshold of Elizabeth's bedroom, Jane, with a subtle push, said, "Go to it." Quietly, Jane returned to her own room.
Elizabeth turned around to say something to Jane, but was met with an empty doorway. She curiously looked back and forth at the phone in one hand and William's number in the other. Elizabeth breathed in a cleansing breath to strengthen her resolve. Sorry, Mr. Number Two Pencil.
"Dad, the caterer says that she needs a guest count for Georgiana's party." William had his father on one line and the caterer on the other. He had been acting as mediator for the two parties.
"Guest count? How am I supposed to know who's coming?" The elder gentleman's voice had a crisp tone.
"What happened to Mrs. Reynolds? I thought she was helping Georgiana with the arrangements of her party."
"Ah, yes." William's father cleared his throat. "Her sister suffered from a bad fall yesterday and she may have hurt her hip severely. Too early to tell though."
"Oh, please tell her that I'm sorry." William made a quick decision. "Hold on for a moment, I'll take care of it." William clicked over to the other line.
"Hello?"
"Yes, still holding Mr. Darcy."
"I'm sorry for the wait. Our housekeeper and the guest of honor cannot be reached at the moment. How soon do you need the guest count?"
The tone, obliging, responded, "Oh, even a week before the event would be satisfactory."
"Alright, I'll make sure that my sister or Mrs. Reynolds gets back to you as soon as possible."
"Thank you."
William clicked back to his father. "They can take the guest count a week before the party."
"Alright."
"I'll make sure to tell Georgiana when she gets back with Anne."
"Very good."
"How long will Mrs. Reynolds stay with her sister?"
"Oh, she said that she'll call on Monday to let us know her sister's progress and she hopes to return by Tuesday, but I told her not to worry about us and to take as much time as she needed ."
"Of course."
Both gentleman were slowly taking in the implications of the situation.
The elder Mr. Darcy tentatively ventured to check his beloved son's current situation. "Are you doing well out there?"
William considered his response before he said, "Yes, very much."
His father's curiosity increased. "Indeed? Does it seem like there's a market for us out there?"
William blinked several times at his father's comment. "Oh, yes. Of course."
Mr. Darcy continued in the same cautious manner. "I'm glad to hear business is going well. So," However, Mr. Darcy was not one to beat around the bush, "I heard from Anne that a certain young lady has caught your fancy."
"Dad." William fought off the warmthness rising in his cheeks.
"A teacher?"
"Dad!"
"And, she likes baseball." In a lowered voice, he said, "Is she a Yankees fan?"
William chuckled good naturedly. "No. A Dodger fan through and through."
"Is she?" The pleasure at discovering this information was evident in his father's voice.
"Yes. I took her out to a game last Wednesday." William smiled warmly at the memory of the date. "She actually watched the game."
"No! It's not possible."
"Oh, yes. She's actually quite knowledgeable about sports." William thought affectionately about their Mascots game.
"What's her name?"
"Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bennet." He loved how her name just rolled of his tongue.
"Hmm . . . she sounds like an extraordinary woman."
You have no idea. William leaned back in his chair as he quickly ran his hand through his hair.
"Well, when you've found some time in your. . . busy schedule, maybe you could bring her around."
"Dad."
"And don't worry, I won't show her any of your pictures playing football in high school." Mr. Darcy crossed his fingers behind his back.
"Whatever you say, old man." Suddenly, a beep signaled that there was an incoming call. "Dad, hold on for a moment. I think it's the caterers again." William clicked on to the other line.
"Mr. William Darcy here." His voice was deep and authoritative. William waited for a response, but there was a pause on the other line. William began to repeat his greeting, but then he was cut off.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy. I hope I haven't interrupted anything important."
William immediately recognized the teasing, yet inviting voice. "Elizabeth," he smiled, somewhat in shock and also amusement, "Of course not." His voice became gentle. "Hold on for a moment."
"Alright."
William quickly clicked back to his father. "Uh . . . Dad, I've got another call on the line."
"Is it those caterers again?" He asked slightly annoyed.
"Ah, no. It's Elizabeth." Immediately, his eyes shut tightly and he shook his head at his impetuous response.
"Oh, I see. Abandoning your old man for the extraordinary lady, eh?"
"Dad."
"Don't worry, I won't keep her waiting any longer. Give her my regards, William."
"Alright."
Shortly after their good byes, William clicked back in the hopes that Elizabeth was still there.
"Hello? Elizabeth?"
"I'm still here. Are you sure I'm not interrupting anything important?"
"No, I was just talking to my father."
"Just talking to your father?"
"We were discussing some details about Georgiana's party earlier and we were just. . . catching up."
"Oh, well, you should catch up with your father. I'm sure he misses you."
"I think, he's pretty up to date with what's going on with me." In a lowered tone, William said, "He sends his regards, by the way."
Elizabeth's brow had furrowed, but when the implications of William's words set in, she could not help blushing. "Oh. Thank you." Elizabeth quickly tried to recover herself. "I hope your weekend is going well so far."
"It couldn't get any better."
Elizabeth swallowed hard. "So, I take it you're enjoying your sister's company immensely?"
William's brow wrinkled at the question. Sister? "Oh, yes. My sister. I was very happy to spend some time with her."
Was? "I'm glad to hear it." Then a thought quickly crossed Elizabeth's mind. "I hope I'm not taking any time away from her. You mentioned she was just visiting for the weekend, so I can imagine time is very precious."
"Oh, no." William started slowly. "I spent the evening with her yesterday, but this morning, she and Anne left to visit two college campuses." The next was said in a light conspiratorial tone. "They won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh." Elizabeth's mind absorbed the disclosure eagerly.
"How's your weekend so far?"
"Well, I've been working on grades. I also helped Jane pick-out what to wear for her date with Charles and his sisters for this evening."
"They're all having dinner again?"
"Yes. Jane mentioned that Caroline and Louisa are leaving next week." Elizabeth hesitated before she added the last part. "So, I suppose it will be just me and my grades for the rest of the day." She cringed after the words left her mouth. Could you be any more obvious? I must sound so desperate!
An uneasy lull entered the conversation. Both wanted to ask the same question, but they did not know how to ask without sounding too eager or desperate. William looked around the room as if the answer would suddenly appear. His eyes spotted the perfect answer. "I may have something you want."
Elizabeth forgot to breath for a moment. In a light, teasing manner, she asked, "Mr. Darcy, what kind of woman do you think I am?"
William stirred in his seat at being addressed in such a formal, but arch manner. "Ms. Bennet, surely you don't think my intentions are less than honorable."
"Your proposition was quite provocative. I'm not sure what to think, Mr. Darcy."
"Provocative? I think this word has been applied to the wrong person."
"I'm not the one offering such shocking propositions."
"I can assure you, if my manner appears less than honorable, it's due to a source that induces me to behave in such a way."
"That is a poor excuse, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth teased.
"I suppose it is since your manners have always been proper."
"Proper?" In a low voice, Elizabeth continued, "If they're proper than it's because of the great effort on my part to appear that way."
William cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose I should've said I have something you may want returned."
"Returned?"
"Jane thought it would be best if I kept your autographed baseball until you could claim it."
Elizabeth, thankful the telephone could not reveal the deep crimson hue that spread through her cheeks and ears, said, "Oh." Hang up! Hang up, now!! It felt unbearable warm in her room.
Tentatively, William said, "It would be nice if you came over to claim it."
The tension in Elizabeth's shoulders loosened. "I would like that, but," Elizabeth bit her lower lip, "Wouldn't it be strange if I came over just to pick up my baseball?" Elizabeth asked playfully.
"I'm sure it won't be too difficult to find other things to do." William grimaced at his comment. You're incorrigible! He quickly added, "Do you have plans for lunch?"
"No."
"Well, since I'm going to make myself something for lunch. . . and . . . you're coming over to pick up your baseball . . ."
"I wouldn't want you to go through too much trouble. . . making lunch for one is much different than making lunch for two. . ."
"It's no trouble at all . . . It would be a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon."
Elizabeth could not help grinning. "Alright." Then her grin slowly faded. A rush of guilt had overcome Elizabeth. "But, I'm afraid I can't stay for very long." Elizabeth hurriedly added, "I've got to get back to working on my grades."
"Well, if you wanted, you could work while I made lunch."
"William, I couldn't possibly work while you made lunch for both of us. It wouldn't be right. I should help you."
"Nonsense." William smiled at the next idea he had in mind. "Besides, if you want to help, you could help tomorrow evening with dinner before my sister and Anne return."
Elizabeth laughed warmly. "That sounds like an even trade."
"Good." William checked his watch. "Does one o'clock sound good to you?"
Elizabeth looked at her clock. It was 11:30. "Sounds good to me."
They said their goodbyes. When William hung up, he gently set the cordless phone on the desk and absently stared at the baseball. Would she have come over if she didn't have this as an excuse? He could not help wondering as he took the ball and rolled it gently on his desk from one hand to the next. A part of him wanted to believe that Elizabeth would have come over anyway that she did not need an excuse to see him.
William set the ball aside and shook his head to shake off the pointless speculation. It had been one week since he first met Elizabeth. It felt like ages ago. She roused feelings in him that confused, excited, and left him wanting. He decided that it would be best not to dwell on the depth of Elizabeth's feelings for him. It's just lunch. It's just a gesture. He chuckled at Anne's words. Then he realized that since he offered to make lunch for the both of them, he should have something to make for that promised lunch. William shot out of his chair, and set off to the market.